The virtual reality “metaverse” is the future of Disney, the Walt Disney Company’s leader said during a Boston event with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Monday.
The metaverse hasn’t been created yet, but Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek described the virtual reality world as “blending this physical world with the digital world without constraints.”
The move toward virtual reality comes as Disney now has VR games and experiences to virtually interact with characters, and as the company focuses on Disney Plus.
“If you want to have lunch with the Disney princesses, you can do that in the future,” the Disney CEO said during Boston College’s Executive Club luncheon at the Boston Harbor Hotel.
“It’s a little bit hard to understand because it’s not yet been created, but I think when you’re the Walt Disney Company you have this unique ability to take the physical manifestations of peoples’ lives and blend it with the digital existence that they have,” Chapek said. “And to do that in a unique way that when you have parks and a digital platform, like Disney Plus, no one else has that ability to do it.”
The company is telling creative leaders in different studios to “paint a three-dimensional canvas.”
“If your specialty is movies, you’ve now branched out to the Disney Plus world and created series,” Chapek said, noting “The Mandalorian” series under the “Star Wars” franchise.
“I think it’s tremendously liberating for a creative mind to now go into that three-dimensional canvas, and take the physical and the digital and bring it all together in one sort of cohesive, untethered way,” the Disney CEO said. “So I do think that that’s the next generation.”
Kraft introduced Chapek and noted how Disney had to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic, and how the company pivoted to a direct-to-consumer model with Disney Plus.
Chapek had been the CEO for only 10 days “before the world fell apart,” he said of the shutdown.
“In some cases, we’re still recovering in many ways two years later,” Chapek said.
Kraft, who asked Chapek a few questions, worked with the Disney CEO on the recent contract negotiations for NFL broadcast rights.
The Patriots owner showered Chapek with praise, saying he earned his trust through those negotiations.
“Bob knows how to close, and I’ll just say personally after that negotiation, I decided that I was investing more in Disney’s stock,” Kraft said. “And I’m very happy I did it, too. It’s done well.”
